Manual (Nikon) or AF(Canon) or Other

I believe that I have narrowed my choice to two ranges of cameras - if you would suggest another please tell me.

I want a camera to learn on (in school classes, and on my own time) and to take good pictures of, well, mountain biking (and some scenery too).

I think that if I go the route of fully manual, it will be the Nikon FM2n, or similar. Whereas if I choose to go autofocus I would pick the Canon EOS 630, or if I can find a good price, EOS RT. If you believe there is a better camera for my uses in either category please specify, as I know very little about photography.

Thanks a lot, and sorry about my double post B$,
Cam

I'd get what ever one is cheapest dude, having an auto focus over a manual focus isn't a huge benifit. Most photographers always use manual focus.

If the nikon is FULLY manual the thats a different story, I'd go with the canon because if its fully auto it will have fully manual too.

if you are going to get a manual camera get a medium format, they provide the higher quality in size, and a contax or used hasselblad isn't that expensive, and they will last forever

how inexpensive is a used hassy? shit if you see one for under $500us be sure to let me know dude. i'd be on it in a second

go to keh.com i got a body for about 300 and a back for 120, the electric ones are even cheaper

how much do you have to spend? If i was you Id buy the best used Nikon or Canon AF body I could get for your money. I use Canon but Nikon is good too.
I use AF on almost every picture I take and you will probly too if you get a camera that has it.

Ian

With an AF camera you can turn it into a complete manual right?

Thanks for the replies,
Cam

i'll check out keh.com thanks.

hey cam yeah you can usually go fully manual with any auto camera and if you want to do action sports shot it's often really useful to be able to just point and shoot when you see something unexpected.

re auto 35mm slrs, i never really fucked with them because it wasn't really my thing, but my girlfriend has a minolta maxxum 3xi. it's an auto with a very active autofocus and pop-up flash. i've used it a few times and it's actually really cool to work with.

of course it's really good to learn on a manual, and i still recommend a pentax k1000 or similar just because it's a pure camera and you get out exactly what you put in, and you're forced to learn technique (the same argument used for hardtails vs squish in terms of getting your shit down), but certainly for shooting action stuff you're gonna have a more rewarding time with a camera that helps you out some.

i understand the minolta can be had relatively cheaply too. i recommend you check one out if you have a chance.

i'm a photographer, for what it's worth

cool - thanks a lot for the reply - I think it may be a better idea to go with AF, so that I can learn/take pictures where I have time in full manual mode and use the AF when I'm hurried - that sounds like more versatility to me.

Thanks,
Cam

Cam, it's also a good idea to have a look at some of your local camera shops to get a feel for the used market. There are a ton of used lenses out there, but not necessarily lots of any particular kind. Nikon has kept the same lens mount since the 1960's, but many of the newer cameras can only use AF lenses. Not a bad thing because there are LOTS of used ones out there. There are a lot of used Canon lenses out there too, but you need to remember that when they made the switch to AF they changed their lens mounts…

The most important thing you can do is to go to the shop and see how the cameras feel to you. It's much like buying a bike. See how it fits in your hands and how easy (intuitive) it is for you to use the controls. I've been shooting Nikon for many years so if you have any questions about them, please let me know…

Good luck!

If you are planning to use the camera in a class setting a lot of schools (if your thinking photography school) require a fully manual camera for students, auto doesn't help u learn much ;). But for general shooting I would have to put aside my oldschool instincts for a bit and say AF is the way to go. AF is a great help when shooting action shots, especially if the action isn't something you can "set up" (ie: a downhill race). By "set up" I mean action that is out of your hands, you can't really ask Andrew Shandro to stand still for a sec while you focus on him. Anyway, with practice that isn't even too big of a problem either.

It's up to you.